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Hybrid Minivan US Availability?

I can't wait to buy a hybrid minivan. Either Toyota or Honda will do. I am banking on one of them coming out with a hybrid minivan by the time our second kid is born in a couple of years. Rolling the dice... come on snake eyes!!!

Hybrid Minivan US Availability?

Toyota needs to configure the Highlander/Lexus RX400h/Camry hybrid system into the Sienna and retain the folding third row seat. Is this possible with current battery packs?

Toyota ABSOLUTELY needs to cure the " no spare tire " run-flat tire problem. As you know, consumers far and near lament purchasing the XLE LIMITED AWD version as the run-flat tires it comes with last 10-15,000 miles and cost twice what a standard tire does to replace!

Wants -

Drove a Highlander hybrid with all options recently - fantastic vehicle, too small for family guys' needs like mine. I noticed no keyless entry option such as the Prius', wherein the key remains in your pocket or purse and the door unlocks automatically. Also, the new Sienna should include a push button start, such as the Prius. The Highlander Hybrid has a standard key and ignition, and it is located awkwardly where you need to reach around the steering column such as in my Toyota truck.

A voice-activated nav system with XM capability and real-time traffic option is needed too, such as is available on the Honda Odyssey. A larger nav screen as in the Honda would be a smart ugrade as well. Bluetooth is available on today's Sienna nav package and the hand's free phone is a great addition. Tech that can voice operate the complex sound system and even the 3 zone climate control would be very smart. Anything that keeps your eyes on the road ahead and off the complicated switchgear, or your mobile phone will save lives.

More HP in the Hybrid Sienna will be a welcome improvement. The standard AWD Limited Sienna is noticeably more sluggish from a stop and up hills vs. the non AWD models.

Please step up the next gen hybrids wherein they can be plugged in and slow charged overnight to increase mileage greatly.Kits are available now to retrofit Priuses with this capability but they void Toyota's factory warranty

I nearly purchased the XLE Limited Sienna with all the bells and whistles in December. My wife and I decided we'll wait for the Sienna hybrid no matter how long it takes. It is a sacrifice since our kids' needs are increasing and a minivan is a must.Toyota is keeping it's release date more hush than the Colonel's secret recipe at KFC! - Marketing - Wouldn't you if you had tens of thousands of non - hybrid Siennas on the lot to sell?! We're not " tree huggers" but are not blind to global warming. Emissions improvements take a second seat to our main priority - too lesson our nation's need for fossil fuels ( 2/3 of the Earth's supply owned by countrys that consider us " infidels " not worthy of breathing ). Let's band together and do what we can to detach ourselves from these dependencies. Iran announced recently it's desire to jack up oil prices incredibly unless we allow them to build their nukes. Hydrogen technology is far off, and the plants it'll take to produce adequate hydrogen will be natural gas propelled, so the end result is not one as rosey as some have proclaimed. So far, the latest hybrid technology is the best we have to date.

Hybrid Minivan US Availability?

I was wondering if maybe even Ford could be looking at a hybrid minivan - maybe it would revitalize their sales. Disappointed to read that they instead seem to be dropping out of the minivan market. Sounds like big, inefficient crossovers are now the big thing. http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...20/207977.html

Hybrid Minivan US Availability?

Our Dodge caravan is getting old -- but we'll hang on to it until we can get something with better fuel economy. I see lots of frustration here with Toyota, but what about the Korean makers -- or any of the aggressive companies.

By the way -- I love my Honda Civic hybrid. If the fuel gauge is to be believed, I'm averaging 52 mpg after 3 years.

Hybrid Minivan US Availability?

These auto makers are so not smart. WE WANT A HYBRID MINI-VAN!!! I love the Prius, but it's for old folks. C'mon boys, give it up for families! Who do you think wants to save money more; convertible owners or mommies?

Hybrid Minivan US Availability?

I think that the choke-hold the oil companies have on the U.S. is pretty evident in the fact that there aren't more hybrids available. Put my family of 6 on the list of buyers as soon as a hybrid minivan comes out... If the US auto makers are listening... Use the Honda Odyssey for your role model! Now that's an awesome minivan!!!

Hybrid Minivan US Availability?

I'm impressed...and somewhat bemused...by the posts on this link. Yes, a hybrid mini-van would be good, on some levels...but does it need all the "bells and whistles," as some have seemed to suggest? I.e., if a Preston Tucker-type did come out with a basic model hybrid minivan = roll-up windows, am-fm radio, no 'navigation' anything, and etc. = would everybody still be so quick to jump to the line? And if the Model T approach then followed - the same basic model for several years - would people still be as excited?

For what it's worth, my '91 Ford Aerostar, with 230,000 miles, still gets @25 mpg on the freeway. If we all kept our tires at the right inflation, changed the oil ourselves at semi-regular intervals, and, oh yes, drove at a constant 55 or 62 1/2 mph, we'd all save lots of $$ and gas, no matter what vehicle we drove. Sometimes it's the obvious things that we miss...

Hybrid Minivan US Availability?

It's obvious to me that there is demand for a hybrid minivan in the U.S. I look around at the vast numbers of Toyota Siennas and Honda Odysseys on the road, and minivans are appealing to families as a fuel-saving alternative to SUVs. We have enjoyed our 2 year old Honda Odyssey after driving SUVs and we're waiting anxiously for a hybrid now. I emailed Toyota and the response was that they "have no current plans to announce the introduction of a hybrid Sienna in the U.S." I hope that "no current plans to announce" means that it's on the drawing board and they don't want to tell us. I find that Toyota and Honda a very tight-lipped about their plans. I suppose if everyone knew there would be a hybrid Sienna, nobody would buy their current one! I think we're going to have to wait it out, folks!

Hybrid Minivan US Availability?

Add me to the list of people who would buy a hybrid minivan today if it were available. I just traded in my X5 for the Rx400h and I am very impressed. The car drives like a dream and watching the consumption screen has changed my driving habits to driving slower, more coasting and smoothers starts and stops. I am tempted to buy another one to replace my 2002 Odyssey but I want AWD (in the NE) and hybrid and the space to load our bikes, dogs, and camping gear in the vehicle. No way i could fit all that in the 400h and it is too nice a car anyway for the dirty gear after a weekend of camping or sailing to be flung in the bag, not to mention a couple of wet dogs! A minivan is a different story. So I second all those clamouring for an AWD hybrid minivan. Great post James, your suggestions are spot on!